How a VPN Can Help with HIPAA Compliance

HIPAA compliance affects healthcare organizations, insurance agents, and more. 

In this podcast, we’ve outlined the easiest way to secure your data so that you can meet HIPAA compliance obligations easily and cost-effectively.

What Is a HIPAA Compliance?

HIPAA compliance refers to adhering to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and its subsequent regulations.

This legislation aims to protect sensitive patient health information (PHI) by setting standards for:

Privacy and Confidentiality

  • PHI Protection: HIPAA outlines strict rules for how PHI can be used, disclosed, and protected. This includes information like names, addresses, social security numbers, medical records, and insurance details.
  • Authorized Uses: PHI can only be used for specific purposes related to healthcare, like treatment, billing, and research.
  • Disclosure Limitations: Sharing PHI with unauthorized individuals or entities is strictly prohibited.

Security

  • Administrative Safeguards: HIPAA requires organizations to have policies and procedures in place to protect PHI, including employee training, risk assessments, and incident response plans.
  • Physical Safeguards: Physical security measures are required to protect PHI from unauthorized access, such as locked storage areas, access control systems, and surveillance.
  • Technical Safeguards: Technical safeguards include measures like encryption, access controls, and audit trails to prevent unauthorized access to electronic PHI.

Data Breach Notification

  • Breach Reporting: In the event of a data breach, covered entities are required to notify individuals whose PHI has been compromised.
  • Federal and State Reporting: Depending on the severity of the breach, organizations may also be required to report the incident to federal and state authorities.

Introducing the Cloud VPN

With a Virtual Private Network (VPN), organizations can easily protect data transmission, secure data with strong encryption and meet other compliance requirements to secure electronic Protected Health Information (ePHI).

How It Works

When you connect to a VPN, you create an encrypted tunnel that protects your data from hackers and third parties. This allows you to set up a completely private and secure connection to another network, enabling remote employees to securely access the network while they’re outside of the office.

Our service actually takes this one step further with Wi-Fi Security – a patent-pending feature that automatically activates military-grade encryption the moment an employee connects to an unsecured Wi-Fi network. This keeps all data being transferred over the network hidden from hackers — even if their mobile device is locked and inside their pocket.

Plus, our DNS Filtering Solution prevents the employees from accessing spammy websites that could endanger the company’s network security.

How Does a VPN Supplement HIPAA Compliance?

Majority of ePHI breaches result from compromised mobile devices or networks that contain unencrypted data which can result in:

  • Loss of trust
  • Substantial fines
  • Criminal charges
  • Civil action lawsuits

To secure confidential data, organizations can implement a HIPAA compliant VPN to encrypt all transmitted data over the network, securing protected health information both on-site and remotely. Cloud VPNs integrate seamlessly with major cloud providers and can ensure that sensitive data located in cloud environments are fully protected and secured. 

The Benefits of Using a Cloud VPN

Here are the benefits of using our cloud VPN.

  • Lockdown Confidential Data and Databases to a Specific IP Address
    When you deploy a private server, you essentially restrict access to certain resources using a specific IP address. This allows you to designate certain team members to have access to only that server or IP address, limiting data access and segmenting the network. 
  • Nonstop Security with VPN Kill Switch
    A VPN kill switch ensures that if the VPN disconnects for any reason, the Internet connection is stopped and no data is transferred. That means that no data will ever be transmitted over the network without encryption so that no third party can see your data in plain text.  
  • Full Visibility with a Unified Management Platform
    Not all software based VPN services offer advanced visibility and management features. With our VPN service, you can easily invite team members, deploy private servers and view all network activity in one unified place.
  • Two-Factor Authentication and Identity Provider Integration
    Two-factor authorization is key to security because it prevents hackers from accessing your account even if they were to obtain your login credentials. By requiring an additional layer of security via SMS push notifications or Google Authenticator, user access can be easily maintained. 

Achieve HIPAA Compliance with a Full-Service Security Solution

At Check Point, we’re highly aware of data storage and logging privacy because it’s critically important in both the business and consumer spaces. 

Even before GDPR came into effect, we were ready to address these security issues for our customers. 

Cloud-based VPN technology offers much-needed scalability, affordability and increased compatibility with cloud storage environments. We are GDPR compliant, SOC-2 compliant and ISO 27 001 compliant so that we can offer a highly effective solution for any organizations’ HIPAA compliance needs. 

Book a FREE demo now and find out for yourself!

FAQs

What are the benefits of a fiber optic backbone network?
Fiber optic networks offer several advantages over traditional copper-based networks. Fiber optic cables can handle significantly higher data transfer rates, crucial for today’s data-intensive applications.  Data travels at the speed of light through fiber optic cables, resulting in minimal delays and faster response times. Fiber optic cables are not affected by electromagnetic interference, ensuring reliable data transmission even in noisy environments.  Finally, fiber optic cables are difficult to tap into, making them a more secure option for transmitting sensitive data.
What are the main components of a distributed backbone network?
Distributed backbone networks have a hierarchical structure consisting of three layers. The core layer is the central hub of the network, connecting to other backbone networks and handling high volumes of data. The distribution layer acts as a bridge between the core layer and the access layer, segmenting traffic and managing network resources. Finally, the access layer connects individual devices and LANs to the network, providing access to the shared resources.
What is the role of central connectivity devices in a backbone network?
Central connectivity devices, such as routers and switches, play a critical role in managing data flow within a backbone network.  Routers analyze the destination address of each data packet and forward it to the appropriate network segment. Switches connect devices within a local network, managing data traffic and creating a high-speed connection. Central connectivity devices can also implement security measures, such as access control lists (ACLs) and firewalls, to prevent unauthorized access and protect the network from malicious attacks.
How do network segments contribute to network availability?
Network segments are smaller, isolated portions of a larger network. By dividing a network into segments, you can improve performance by isolating network traffic and reducing congestion, leading to faster data transmission. You can also enhance security by limiting the impact of security breaches. If one segment is compromised, the attacker cannot easily access other parts of the network. Finally, you can increase resilience by isolating failures. If one segment experiences an outage, the rest of the network can continue to operate. Overall, network segmentation plays a crucial role in enhancing network availability, performance, and security.
What are the benefits of using a cloud VPN for healthcare organizations?
A cloud VPN provides a network of servers that can be accessed from anywhere, offering flexibility and scalability for healthcare providers who need to access patient data from multiple locations. It also offers cost-effective solutions for healthcare organizations looking to protect their data.